Sector Focus: Timber Construction | 33
SUMMARY
■ The 2025 Construction Products Reform Green Paper and the Timber in Construction Policy Roadmap are creating opportunities
■STA has an established Installer Training Scheme in operation
■Digital integration becomes increasingly important
TIMBER’S MOMENT – ARE YOU READY?
Working together, the timber supply chain can make a significant contribution to meeting the UK’s ambitious house building target says Andrew Orris, CEO at the Structural Timber Association (STA)
The UK construction industry stands at a pivotal juncture. On the one hand, recent government developments – particularly the 2025 Construction Products Reform Green Paper and the Timber in Construction (TiC) Policy Roadmap – are creating both unprecedented opportunities and new compliance challenges that will fundamentally reshape how the industry operates and the driver for sustainable materials. On the other hand, the government’s ambitious goal of 1.5 million new homes over five years is under considerable pressure, with mounting fears by many in the industry that it simply will not be met.
Labour’s housing target has been central to its promises on economic growth and tackling
the cost of living. Hitting it would require 300,000 new additions to housing supply every year of the parliament – a level that has never been achieved before. A tall order, yes, but one that still has a chance of making a significant mark if we can all get behind it and work collaboratively to shift the mindset of how we approach construction. Of course, we still have Net Zero commitments by 2050, and structural timber is emerging from the margins to become a mainstream construction solution.
MARKET REALITY
The numbers tell a compelling story. Buildings currently account for 40% of the UK’s carbon emissions, with construction activity alone generating 50 million tonnes of CO2
annually.
For timber suppliers, this creates a unique market position: structural timber isn’t just competing on performance metrics anymore but has become essential infrastructure for meeting legislative climate targets. Housing is the biggest challenge that the UK currently faces, so it was very encouraging to see the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s £39m commitment to social and affordable housing over the next 10 years in June’s Spending Review. There is certainly no doubt that increasing the use of structural timber and offsite manufacturing will be a key aspect of ensuring the rapid and high-quality delivery of these vitally needed homes.
The commercial advantages are certainly persuasive. Timber frame construction can reduce build times by almost half compared to traditional masonry methods, with homes completed in as little as 15 weeks. Projects become weathertight up to 10 weeks sooner, enabling interior works to progress ahead of traditional schedules. For importers and the supply chain serving high-volume housing developers, this speed-to-market advantage translates directly into competitive positioning and repeat business opportunities.
GREEN PAPER IMPACT
Above: The Timber in Construction Policy Roadmap provides a strategic framework for industry development’
The 2025 Construction Products Reform Green Paper – if adopted – has the potential to deliver the most significant regulatory overhaul in a generation, with particular implications for timber supply chains. The risk-based regulatory approach marks a departure from perception-driven decision- making, instead focusing on evidence-based performance assessment. ►
www.ttjonline.com | July/August 2025 | TTJ
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